Container filling machine



Nbv.'23, 1943. J. KANTOR 2,334,933

CONTAINER FILLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 10, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Arromvzr:

Nov. 23, 1943. KANT-QR CONTAINER FILLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 10, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVEN IOR. JAMES KAN M.

I 7'T0/7/VE VJ Patented Nov. 23, 1943 a eless UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

v V I 2,334,933 I CONTAlINER FILLING MACHINE James Kantor, Chicago, 111., assignor to The Liq- I uid Carbonic Corporation, Chicago, Ill., acorporation or Delaware 7 V Application November 10, 1941, Serial No. 418,459

2' Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in container filling apparatus and-particularly to apparatus for filling containers with carbonated beverage. a

It has for one of its objects that of providing a two-stage filler. In thehandling of carbonated beverages, in some instances, I have found that the carbonated beverage can be delivered to the container during what may be called the first stage at a comparatively slow rate of flow. As soon as the level of the carbonated beverage delivered to the container has reached to or above the lower end of the filling tube,- the rate of flow may be increased to arelatively fast rate without causing unnecessary foaming and I have further found that if the filler valve is closed at the ight moment or just before the container is completely filled, there is, under normal circumstances, no danger of the carbonated beverage backing up in the filler valve. objects of my invention to provide a machine for accomplishing the above results.

For the purpose of disclosing the invention, I have illustrated an embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation, more or less diagrammatic, of an apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View in detail of the upper part of the water check tank;

Fig. 3 is a plan view, partly in section, showing the conducting ports in the head of the water check tank; i

Fig. 4 is a plan View, more or less diagrammatic, showing the control valve arrangement for delivering pressure from the water check tank to the filler tubes; and 1 Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the type of filler tube embodied in my invention looking at the structure from its side,-as compared with its end, as shown in Fig. 1.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, I provide a filling tank I which is annular or doughnut shaped and is provided-with a plurality of filling valves 2. Thistank, and its associated filling valves, is rotatable and associated with each filling valve and rotatable therewith is a reciprocating platform 3 which, during its reciprocation, moves the container adapted to be received thereon into and out of engagement with its filling valve 2.

Each of the filling valves 2 comprises a base 4 adapted to be secured in a position coincident with an opening in the bottom of the tank I. This base supports a filler tube 5 adapted to communicate with the interior of the tank and It is one of the adapted to be projected into the container to be filled as the container is raised on its support-3. This tube carries, at its lower end, a pear-shaped valve 6 normally adapted to close the lower end of the tube and operated through the medium of a stem 1 which extends upwardly to and is connected with a diaphragm 8 mounted in a chamber 9 formed between a cap it] and a top casting II. A plurality of pressure tubes I3, preferably two in number, extend upwardly from the base 4, being seated in bosses in the base and corresponding bosses in the top H. These tubes communicate throughpassages M with the chamber 9 above the diaphragm 8. At the lowerends, the tubes l3 communicate through passages i5 in the base 4 with a chamber H5 in the neck I! or" the filler valve. The neck l I carries a secondary tube, l8 which talescopes the tube 5 and this tube I8, at its upper end, is provided with a valve seat IS on which is adapted to seat a spring-pressed valve 20. The lower end of the tube l8 projects through a cushioning seat 2|, the purpose of which will more fully hereinafter appear.

Slidably mounted on the filler tube 5 is a bottle bell providedwith a bell-shaped mouth 22 and having arranged therein a sealing bushing 22'. The upper end 23 of this bell is adapted to make sealing engagement, when the bell is raised, with the sealing gasket or seat 2 i while the end of the tube I8 makes contact with the'top of the bell to deliver pressure through the bell into the container. This pressure is supplied, in a manner hereinafter more fully described, through a port 24 formed in a nipple 25 adapted to be connected with a suitable pipe or' conduit 26.

Counter-pressure to'the' container to be filled and pressure for op'eratingthe valve 6 ofthe filler tube 5 is supplied to the filler tube through the'conduit 26 from a water check tank 2l'which rotates with the tank I and is provided with a pressure cylinder 28. The tank 21 is provided with means for delivering water thereto through an opening 29 in the bottom of the tank and the tank-is closed by a suitable cover 36 which also provides one member of a control valve. The pressure tank 28 is supported within the tank 21 from an air supply tube 3! extending through the head-30 and a boss in the head'33 of the pressure tank receiving clamping units 32 on its end. This pressure tank or cylinder 28 is open at its bottom and air under pressure is delivered there to from a suitable source of supply through the pipe 3|. The head 33, cooperating-with the valve portion of the head 30 provides a valve for controlling the admission of pressure through the tubes 26 and to this end, the cylinder 28, with its accompanying head 33 is held against rotation by the air supply pipe 3! which, in turn is provided with an adjustable locking member 34 connected to a holding stem 35. For maintaining a tight sliding contact between the head 33 and the head 33, the air supply pipe 3| is provided with a stop 33 and the head 39 is provided with a friction bearing 3? between which is disposed a coiled spring.

In, order to equalize the pressure in the top of the water check tank with the pressure above the liquid in the filling tank I, the'filling tank above the liquid level is adapted to be connected With the top of the Water check tank 2'! through 1 suitable pipes or conduits 38.

In addition to supplying air to the cylinder 28, air is supplied to the top of the water check tank 21 from the air supply pipe 3| through the medium of a passageway 39 in the head 33, which extends to the outer periphery of the head and communicates with the pipe 3 l The head 30 of the water check tank is provided with a plurality of radial passageways 40, one for each of the tubes 26, which radial passageways communicate with vertically disposed ports M. The head 33, on its upper face has formed therein a segmental annular groove 42 and a second segmental annular groove 43. The annular groove 42 communicates with the top of the water check tank through the medium of suitable ports it, and the annular groove 43 communicates with the cylinder 28 through suitable ports 45 in the head so that when the groove 42,

due to the relative rotation between the head 33 and the head 33, is placed in communication with the ports 4!, each of the tubes 28 will be placed in communication with the top of the water check tank 2'! and when the groove #3 is placed in communication with the ports 4|, each of the tubes 26 is placed in communication with the pressure cylinder 28.

Air under pressure is admitted to the cylinder 23 through the tube 3i suificient to force out of the open bottom of this cylinder water which would tend to rise therein from the water check tank. There is developed in the cylinder '28 a pressure sufficient to support a column of water extending from the water level in the water check tank to the bottom of the cylinder 28. This column may be indicated as A. With the tube 28 placed in communication with the container to be filled through the filling valve, there will be developed in the container a similar pressure which, of course, will support a column of liquid similar in height, and this column from the liquid level in the tank to the bottom thereof may be designated as A and it will be noted that this column extends from the liquid level in the tank to just above the bottom end of the filler tube when it is projected into the bottle. Therefore, there will be a difierential in pressures between the pressure tending to flow the liquid from the filling tank into the bottle and the pressure tending to prevent this fiow equal to the difierence between the distance A and the end of the filling tube 5, which may be designated as B, and B will be the effective head tending to flow the liquid into the bottle. Obviously, when the liquid reaches a point equal to the distance B, the pressures will be counterbalanced and no more liquid would tend to fiow into the bottle until a further differential is provided.

In operation, assuming that the filler tankand water check tank, together with the associated Of an filling valves and container supports are rotating, with the cylinder 28 remaining stationary, as a bottle is received on its support 3, this support is raised, raising the bottle with it into engagement with the bell mouth 2|, thus raising the bell member until the top 23 of this member seats on the gasket 2|. This, of course, makes a sealed engagement between the parts so that the bottle will be placed in communication with the filling valve. At the same time that the top 23 of the bell member seats on the rubber seat 2|, the lower end of the tube [8 seats itself and the valve 20 is raised, placing the tube in communication with the chamber l 6 thus admitting pressure from the conduit 26 to the bottle to be filled and, likewise, to the chamber 9 above the diaphragm 8, which will develop suflicient pressure above the diaphragm 8 to move the stem 1 downwardly, opening the valve 6. It is, of course, to be understood that upon rotation of the filler tank and Water check tank, the port 4| will be placed in communication with the groove 43 and thus through the port 45 with the interior of the cylinder 28. Under these circumstances, it is obvious that the counter-pressure developed in the container to be filled will be sufiicient to allow the liquid in the filler tank I to fiow into the container at a comparatively slow speed and that when the liquid is filled to a level in the bottle which would equal column B, the flow in the liquid into the container will stop. However, before this level is reached and shortly after the end of the filling tube 5 is submerged, the port 4| will have been placed into communication with the groove 42 which, it will be remembered, communicates directly with the top of the water check tank 27 and, therefore, the counter-pressure admitted to the container will be equal to the pressure in the top of the tank I so that the full head or weight of the liquid in the tank I will cause the liquid to flow through the filling tube and, under these circumstances, the liquid will flow at a relatively much higher rate. Under this arrangement, there is no counter-pressure developed sufiicient to stop the flow of liquid when the container is filled and, as a result, there would be a tendency for the liquid to creep up in the filling valve to a point considerably above the liquid level to which it is desired to fill the bottle. To avoid any such contingency, the apparatus is operated at such a speed, and the cam mechanism for raising and lowering the bottles is so timed that at the point where the desired liquid level is reached in the bottle, the platform or support 3 commences to lower, thus closing the valve 20, shutting olT the supply of pressure to the chamber 9 and under these circumstances, permitting the valve 6 to close, shutting off the flow of liquid to the tube 5. In other words, the closure of the valve 2 is timed to coincide with the point at which it is desired that the liquid level shall be reached in the container.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a container filling machine, in combination, a rotary filling tank adapted to be supplied with liquid to be delivered to the container, a filling valve associated with said tank including a filling tube for projection into the container to be filled and having a discharge opening at its lower end and a valve for controlling the discharge of liquid from the lower end of said tube, said filler valve having a pressure inlet passage for delivering counter-pressure to the container, a water check tank having an air cylinder therein com- -municating at its bottom with said water check tank, means for admitting air under pressure to said cylinder to develop pressure in said cylinder against the water contained in said water check tank, means for admitting said air pressure in said water check tank above the water contained therein and a valve rotated with said tank and having control ports respectively connected to said air cylinder and said tank and initially connecting said filler valve with said cylinder through one port to develop counter-pressure from said cylinder to said container, said valve, after a predetermined quantity of liquid has been delivered to the container, connecting the filler valve through the other port with the top of said water check tank to equalize the pressure in said container with the pressure in the top of the filler tank and said filler tube and. means for closing said valve to shut ofi the supply of liquid to the container coincident with the rise of the liquid level in said container to the desired point above the discharge end of the tube.

2. In a container filling machine, in combination, a rotary filling tank adapted to be supplied with liquid to be delivered to the container, a filling valve associated With said tank including a filling tube for projection into the container to be filled and having a discharge opening at its lower end and a valve for controlling the discharge of liquid from the lower end of said filling tube, said filling valve having a pressure inlet passage for delivering counter-pressure to the container, a water check tank having an air-cylinder therein communicating at its bottom with said water check tank, means for admitting air under pressure to said cylinder to develop pres sure in said cylinder against the water contained in said water check tank, and means for admitting air pressure in said Water check tank above the water contained therein, a valve rotated with said tank having control ports respectively connected to said air cylinder and said tank and initially connecting said filler valve with said cylinder through one of said ports to deliver counterpressure to said container, the counter-pressure so delivered to said container having a diiierential less than the head of liquid in said filler tank sufiicient to permit the liquid to discharge from said filler tank into the container to a level approximately at the discharge end of said filling tube, said valve, after the liquid in the container reaches the above-mentioned level, connecting the filler valve with the top of the water check tank through said other valve to equalize the pressure in the container with the pressure in the top of the filler tank and said filling tube valve, means for closing said filling tube valve to shut off the supply of liquid to the container coincident With the rise of the liquid level in the container to the desired point above the discharge end of the tube.

JAMES KANTOR. 

